Thaddeus Jimenez: How He Spent 25 Million Trying To Revive His Old Chicago Gang

foreign [Music] Irving Park a shiny Mercedes convertible glided through the streets inside sat Thaddeus Jimenez and a gang accomplice their ears filled with the Melodies of opera music but their purpose was far from harmonious they sought a target for their aggression their eyes scanned the surroundings searching for their next victim shortly after they pulled the Mercedes up to an ex-gang member and shot him twice in the thighs just three years earlier TJ had been awarded 25 million for wrongful conviction but instead of rebuilding his life with the money he chose to blow Millions trying to revive his gang he could pay other gang members remember the story from a few years back Thaddeus Jimenez was awarded 25 million dollars from a wrongful conviction lawsuit in 2012. he blew all that money when he got out by spiraling into a life of crime slipped by guns and fancy cars give recruitment bonuses and even give cash prizes to members willing to tattoo their faces with the Diamond City Royals Insignia so why did he forsake a chance at a new life can wealth truly sever the ties to a past life let's unravel the motivations behind his fateful decisions who is Thaddeus Jimenez also known as TJ born in 1979 to a working-class single mother TJ always wanted to join a gang when he was young he learned about gang life from his uncles who were part of the Simon City Royals gang and were like fathers to him the Simon City Royals started back in the 1950s as a group of mostly white Greaser gang members they became well known by fighting with other gangs especially Hispanic and black gangs on the city's North Side by the time he was 10 years old TJ was already missing schools smoking weed and doing all the other illegal stuff because of this he got arrested several times and had to spend time in juvenile detention even though they were minor offenses having a record as a kid still made him look bad on paper when TJ was 13 years old his life took a sharp turn a guy named Eric Morrow who was 19 got killed during an argument on West Belmont Avenue TJ and a few members of the Simon City gang were suspected of being involved they were all young but were questioned without their parents present which is illegal they were let go at first but one person who saw the shooting said TJ was the shooter she watched the shooting as she left a lounge from across the street two other Witnesses were questioned but neither said TJ was the shooter however on the next day one of them changed his story and said he saw Jimenez shoot Eric TJ was then arrested by Chicago police officers and charged with moro's murder surprisingly the police didn't bother to check his clothes or hands for any gunshot residue and they were unable to locate the weapon used in the crime TJ's Dad talked to some of the gang members in an effort to get more information and one of them named Juan Carlos Torres admitted to committing the murder not knowing that he was secretly being recorded as TJ's trial went on the recorded confession by Torres was given to the police however Torres denied the conversation at a follow-up interview and the police ceased their investigation into his possible involvement in the murder case after hearing before the juvenile court TJ was transferred to criminal court and was tried for Morrow's murder during the trial judge Christie berkos didn't allow the taped confession as evidence on hearsay grounds even though five different family members and Friends testified that he was at their grandmother's house when the murder occurred the jury still found him guilty this verdict led to him and as being sentenced to 45 years in prison in the initial years of his imprisonment TJ stayed in the State youth facility but was transferred to an adult prison when he turned 17. Life Behind Bars was a constant struggle for him as three things worked against him first he was physically small second he was a member of the Simon City Royals gang and third he appeared white due to his mixed race background these factors made him an easy target and led him to have to fight nearly every day after writing numerous letters pleading for help from lawyers and advocacy groups he finally caught a break in 2005. attorneys and students from Northwestern University Blum Center on wrongful convictions decided to revisit his case what happened is in 2015 TJ had all this money and initially he was doing the right thing and he was working at a Sonic restaurant trying to make ends meet then he gets all his money and I think that all of a sudden he wanted to exert all the power they relied on the recording of TJ's father where Torres confessed to killing Moro following the re-examination two key Witnesses withdrew their previous statements that TJ had fired the deadly shots and this prompted the Cook County State's Attorney's office to reopen an investigation in 2007 and two years later prosecutors indicted Torres for moreau's murder TJ was then released and received a certificate of Innocence he also received one hundred and ninety thousand dollars from the state for his wrongful imprisonment this was followed by a 2012 verdict that awarded him 25 million dollars from a lawsuit against the city and Chicago Police bad choices after exoneration and rearrests after his release a lot had changed about him prison had done what it does best and that was to turn him into a criminal TJ decided to revive the Simon City Royals which had faded since its leaders were either killed or locked up he threw wild drug-fueled parties and paid to free friends in jail he gave 50 thousand dollars to new gang members and money for face tattoos he also went online posting videos on YouTube and Facebook with gang members showing guns and threats against rival gangs and police during this period he found himself on the wrong side of the law several times having run-ins with the police in fact in 2012 he faced a conviction for felony narcotics possession resulting in a one-year prison sentence this happened after the police searched his home and discovered three guns along with a bag of silocybin which is the active part of psychedelic mushrooms the money he gave out made an impact as more violent crimes linked to Simon City Royals started happening this includes the January 2015 shooting at a West Side gas station that injured two innocent bystanders and killed several Castile shooting and conviction the day of the Castile shooting saw TJ and his accomplice Roman cruising through the streets of Irving Park TJ had a sapphire blue gun and bags of extra bullets in the back seat Roman held a small rifle and filmed their ride with his iPhone around 11AM TJ pulled up to Earl Castile an ex-gang member who resisted TJ's attempts to force him back into the gang he was headed Castile recognizing the two men came over to greet them however things took an unexpected turn as TJ made a threatening remark why shouldn't I hurt you right now TJ asked Castile replied you're my brother man I ain't got nothing against you TJ without hesitation aimed his gun at castile's legs and fired twice hitting him in each thigh Castile fell to the ground and his voice was filled with disbelief why'd you do that TJ simply told him shut up before speeding away the aftermath of the shooting led to a police pursuit TJ lost control of the car crashing into a parked vehicle before fleeing on foot they were later apprehended and charged Roman the man who was filming the video received a seven year sentence while TJ was sentenced to nine years in prison even in the face of arrest TJ's strong attachment to gang life didn't fade he penned a six-page letter to his fellow gang members showing his commitment to the cause in the letter he asserted that being locked up again wouldn't change his dedication to keeping the Royals strong he also implied that returning to jail felt like coming home this is where I was created and this is my home TJ wrote [Music] foreign [Music]

Channel: UnitedGangsTV

Views: 3,714

Keywords: thaddeus jimenez

Id: pUh3GwSW99I

Length: 8min 25sec (505 seconds)

Published: Sat Sep 02 2023